By Mélanie, on Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Did I tell you that I like to bake with constraints ? Having a “brain-teaser” to solve before finding what I could serve? Well, this week-end, my wishes were granted. I had a lot of constraints…I offered to bring a dessert for a party. So the whole “dessert on a plate/in a jar/etc…” thing was excluded. My thought immediately wandered to the different kinds of cookies I could make. I could try new selections, what fun I could have!! (you’ll see that soon).But this would have been too easy! The only person I really knew at this party added some other specifications. No chocolate. Something light (which is a difficult concept to grasp, as he then told me how good a chocolate mousse was… Do you understand how lost I was?). So I made up my mind and decided that light had to mean without butter, and not too dense.

I’m still in this autumnal mood, so pears seemed very appropriate. And after reading Tartelette’s Poire d’Eve description, I was highly attracted to the idea of associating them with caramel. And this was no mistake…

For the base, I mixed white eggs with hazelnut, obtaining a very light dacquoise, between the macaron and the meringue. This is the easiest thing to do, and it is delicious. Plus, it’s very versatile, you can replace hazelnuts with almonds, or with coconut, and turn the whole cake into something new.After that, I added the poached pears, covered with a soft caramel mousse. Don’t be afraid by the description of the recipe, which is long, I don’t think it took me more than 2 hours to make (dish washing included!). You just need to be organized, and, well… have a lots of containers and bowls…I have to admit I was not feeling very well and I did not taste it, but everyone said it was very good, so we’re gonna need to trust them on that one!

* The eggs need to be at room temperature, otherwise the sugar will crystallize when poured over the beaten eggs.

Prepare the cake :

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, sift together flour and confectioner sugar. Add the hazelnuts.Beat whites in mixer at medium speed until they form soft peaks. Add brown sugar gradually, beating, and continue beating at high speed just until whites are thickened and form soft, droopy peaks.Sprinkle one third of sifted dry ingredients over whites and fold in with a rubber spatula gently but thoroughly. Fold in remaining dry ingredients, one third at a time.

If you don’t have a ring mold or a springform, you could use parchment paper to remove the finished cake from the pan easily.Gently pour batter evenly into greased cake pan and bake until top is light golden, and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.Transfer cake to rack; cool completely.

Prepare the caramel mousse :

Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks, and reserve in the fridge.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil over medium high heat. Cook the sugar until deep golden brown. Turn off the heat and carefully pour heavy cream into the hot caramel. The syrup will bubble shortly, so be careful. Return to the heat if you get caramel bits and stir until it is one smooth liquid.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water, and let it sit.

Whisk shortly the egg and the yolks. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil over medium high heat, and cook until it reaches 233°F. Add it to the yolk mixture and continue to whisk on medium high until it triples in volume and cools to room temperature.

Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 20 seconds and add it to the caramel. Mix the caramel with the egg preparation. Finally add the heavy cream to the mousse base and fold gently together.

Assembly :

Put the hazelnut cake on a serving dish, in the pastry frame (or in the baking pan if you don’t have any pastry frame). Spread the pear dices over, and cover with the caramel mousse. Freeze the cake for 2 hours before decorating with the glaze.Arrange some pear slices over the cake.Bring the poaching syrup to a boil, add the gelatin and stir until completely dissolved. Let cool at room temperature before pouring over the cake. Reserve in the fridge before serving.